Hurricane Lola (2187, wsc)
Hurricane Lola of 2187 was a devastating category 7 hurricane that developed during the annual hurricane season. It was the 12th named storm, 7th hurricane, and the 4th major hurricane of the season, and crippled the Bahamas, and most of the US, before finally heading back out to sea and becoming extratropical. Over 400 people were killed by the storm, with over 10,000 injured during the storm. Damages came to $5 trillion, becoming the most costliest disaster on record for its timing. Meteorological history On August 13th, a tropical wave washed off the West African coast, although the overall organization of the system remained at a minimum for several days afterwards. By August 31st, the system rapidly organized, with a weak low level circulation forming offshore Puerto Rico. The system was given a high chance of becoming a subtropical cyclone within 48 hours, and continued its rapid organization process. By September 1st, a NHC Hurricane hunters flight determined surface winds of 50 mph 140 miles from the systems low level circulation. It was designated as Subtropical Storm Lola at 0200 UTC. By 0900 hours, Lola was investigated again by the Hurricane hunters, who determined a still subtropical cyclone, with 70 mph surface winds, and a pressure of 978 hPa. The storm was kept as a subtropical cyclone due to the poor convection, and poor banding features being present in the core of rotation. The following day, explosive intensification occurred, with the storm going from an 80 mph category 1 hurricane to a 160 hurricane category 5 major hurricane before the end of the day. during this time, the storm had passed Cuba as a category 2, becoming fully tropical cyclone in the process. On September 3rd, the storm hit the Windward Islands, after becoming the earliest category 6 recorded. The storm made landfall at this strength, causing catastrophic damage, killing 50 people, and leaving several families homeless. By September 8th, Lola had begun to finally weaken, due to windshear. The storm made landfalls as a category 3 in the Bahamas, and then as a strong category 1 in Florida, in Miami-Dade county. However, due to its enormous size, the storm began to unusually strengthen whilst travelling over the Florida panhandle, emerging into the Gulf of Mexico as a category 3 major hurricane six hours later. Continued strengthening occurred, and the storm became the first ever category 7 hurricane ever recorded. About this time, a derecho ws spawned in the outer bands of the storm, which then moved ashore in New Orleans, Louisiana, wreaking havoc along the US Gulf coast. On September 13th, at 1433 hours, Lola made landfall in Gulfport, Mississippi at peak strength, with winds of 250 mph, causing the wost damage seen from any weather event since 2145 in the US. At 2310 hours, Lola was finally downgraded to a tropical storm over Alabama, and accelerating up the East coast over the next few days, slowly undergoing extratropical transition whilst moving towards and then up the coast. On the 17th, the remnant circulation of Lola moved out back into the Atlantic, re-deepening into a category 4 equivalent extratropical cyclone, before weakening and dissipating over the Azores on the 22nd. During the 24 hour period of 1450 hours September 13th until 1450 hours on the 14th, Lola's circulation managed to spawn a record 497 tornadoes, finally breaking the record set by the April 25-28, 2011 tornado outbreak. Preperations As soon as Subtropical Storm Lola was designated, a tropical storm warning was issued for the entire coat of Cuba in anticipation of the developing storm offshore, due to the fact that tropical storm force sustained winds were expected within hours. Tropical storm warnings and a hurricane watch wee posted for Puerto Rico, and the Windward Islands on the next tropical cyclone advisory bulletin. On the afternoon of the 3rd, Lola hit the Windward Islands as a category 6 hurricane, and hurricane watches were posted for the Leeward Islands, but were later cancelled as the storm turned away from the islands, and back out into the Atlantic. on the 6th, a hurricane watch was issued for the Bahamas, and the Atlantic coast of Florida, which were both raised to hurricane warnings 8 hours later. At one point on the 9th, the entire Gulf coast was under a hurricane warning at some point, due to the erratic variations into which direction the cyclone would head out into next. A derecho watch was issued on the evening of September 11th, due to a derecho becoming perseptable on radar as the cyclone began to approach the shoreline of the US Gulf coast.. This was raised to a derecho alert as the rainbands of the cyclone began to move ashore on the morning of the 12th, which was when the bow echo within radar imagery became more perceptible. As the cyclone began to absorb the derecho on the morning of the 13th, a tornado watch was issued for the entire Gulf coast areas that would be within the circulation's path. After landfall, these watches were upgraded into tornado warnings, and extended further from the coastline as the storm moved further inland. Impact Hurricane Lola was responsible for 437 deaths, 2510 injuries, and an overall damage total of $5 trillion. over the next year, $1.2 billion was given in disaster fundings to those who were effected by the cyclone. The whole of the US was rebuild under the US Rebuilding and Tornado Proofing Project (USRTPP), at a cost of $1.05 quadrillion. Over the following months, 3 tropical cyclones managed to form over the Great Lakes region, and so, since tropical cyclones were becoming more common over the Great lakes, a "Contiguous United States hurricane season" was created, set to run from April to November from the next year onwards. Records Hurricane Lola was a record breaker in many cases, as listed below: * The biggest tropical cyclone induced tornado outbreak recorded, with 712 tornadoes being recorded between September 13th to 16th. * Most violent tornado windspeed, recorded at 412mph in an indisputable EF5 tornado, spawned by the cyclone. * The biggest hurricane on record, at nearly half he size of the United States at peak strength. Retirement Due to extreme damages and loss of life, the name Lola was retired in the spring of 2188, and replaced with Louise for the 2194 Atlantic hurricane season. The name Lola will never again be used to name an Atlantic hurricane. Category:Lola Category:Layten's pages